In Teaching Digital Natives, Marc Prensky has proficiently captured the sense of urgency needed in education today. These 21st century skills, needed core curriculum, rigor, and methodology are outlined in a way all educators can appreciate and implement. The important roles of teachers, parents, and learners are outlined in easy-to-follow strategies that make perfect sense. His pedagogical “partnering” with students to facilitate a new way to teach is invaluable for educators working to better meet the needs of all learners. Prensky defines a "digital native" as the students in teachers' classrooms today, students who have grown up using technology and accepting it as part of their everyday lives. In contrast, a lot of educators, administrators and parents find they are "digital immigrants", having to adapt to technology that is unfamiliar and can be intimidating. These two groups view technology in fundamentally different ways. Teaching Digital Natives is a must-read for all educators who strive to meet the emerging demands of our profession. Today’s world, today’s schools, today’s students are not what they were before 1992. As a 1992 high school graduate, I can agree, things are very different in today’s world. But, I am here to agree that even I know it’s time for change in the classroom. Technology can be very intimidating to us “immigrants” but how can we tell our students to try new things, when we don’t try them ourselves. Students need to be interested and encouraged in learning new concepts and teachers play a key role in guiding students to that exciting and new “partnership” of learning. Needless to say, this was a great read and I gained some great insight as an educator! Constructivism is a well-known theory based on observation and scientific study about how we learn. Research has shown that children learn best by doing and through learning experiences that relate to the world around them. By allowing students learning activities in an authentic, real-world context, constructivism stimulates and engages students. Students in constructivist classrooms learn to question things and to apply their natural curiosity for a deeper understanding of knowledge.
Constructivism promotes social and communication skills by creating a classroom environment that emphasizes collaboration and exchange of ideas. Students must learn how to articulate their ideas clearly as well as to collaborate on tasks effectively by sharing in group projects. When students must therefore exchange ideas and learn to negotiate with their peers and to evaluate their contributions in a socially acceptable manner. Constructivism is a term all educators should be very familiar with. I believe children definitely learn by doing and need to be engaged in the learning process. Collaboration is also an important aspect to the learning process. Students need to be socially interacted with others for them to become productive members of society. My classroom will be filled with fun and engaging activities for my students to have a successful learning experience! Here is a great website for more valuable information on constructivism: http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/index_sub6.html The Flipped Classroom:
What is a flipped classroom? The flipped classroom is a model of learning where students watch content-related videos on their own time, freeing up classroom time for questions and discussion, group work, experiments, and hands-on and other experiential activities. The Flipped Classroom has jumped onto the education radar in recent years as a way to potentially change pedagogical and instructional practices by utilizing emerging technologies. Technology has become a tool that we use daily. It’s not entirely technology that is transforming classrooms, it’s also how we are using the technology to accomplish this transformation. Flip Your Classroom with Blogs: What you are doing right now can transform your classroom! Yes, blogging is definitely a way to engage your students and get them involved in the learning process. I’m considered to be old school (grew up with paper and pencil type of education), yet here I am writing a blog. This is something I never envisioned myself doing and that is proof enough for me that teaching with the help of technology has and is transforming education and I am very excited to be a part of that transformation! Here is a great resource for more info: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/flip-ela-class-with-blogs-brian-sztabnik When I hear the words “21st Century Skills” I generally think of collaboration, digital literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving. But the most obvious word that comes to mind would definitely be technology. Technology has allowed for some pretty cool stuff when it comes to the learning process. Students today must develop strong critical thinking and communication skills in order to be successful in an increasingly interconnected world. Technology offers students the opportunity of endless learning, not to mention, constant social interaction and easy access to create and share digital content. With the use of technology, educators can create an engaging and personalized environment to meet the emerging educational needs of this generation. Learning does not have to be inside a building or confined to the classroom anymore. The “21st Century” education, focuses on preparing students to become lifelong learners that are successful in everyday life.
Here is a great read: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/heros-journey-21st-century-betty-ray Our 1st grade class is going on a field trip to the ZOO on May 4th. I cannot wait for the FUN and very excited for the students to get this great educational opportunity. Stay tuned for details on our adventure!!
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AuthorHi, my name is Michell. I am a 1st grade teacher and absolutely LOVE it! Archives
November 2016
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